Oakland police chief, mayor respond to spate of shootings that left 4 dead in 24 hours

Howard Jordan condemns the recent spate of violence in Oakland at a press conference Monday.

Police Chief Howard Jordan and Mayor Jean Quan held a press conference Monday afternoon to condemn the recent spate of violence that resulted in four homicides in Oakland last Friday.

Traffic slowed on International Boulevard as dozens of TV news crews gathered in the shadow of the Oakland Police Department’s Mobile Command Unit. Jordan and Quan took turns addressing the crowd in front of a memorial painting dedicated to Carlos Nava, the three-year-old boy who was killed in August, 2011, when a stray bullet struck him.

“We’ve had six murders already this year compared to two last year at this time,” Jordan said. “That is simply unacceptable in this city.”

The most recent string of killings began around 2:30 pm on Friday, January 11. The OPD responded to a call on the 2300 block of E. 17th Street that a 22-year-old unidentified male had been shot multiple times. The victim later died at the hospital.